Halo SG1: Combat Ascended
by Anubis117
Summary: Master Chief goes back for Cortana, but he comes back with Asguard and Ancients weapons, a new set of armor, and tells Cortana that the Final Halo is actually an Ori SuperGate! SG1 Halo 2 crossover! No flames, please!
1. The Demon

Deep within High Charity, the ancient intelligence Gravemind, sat in wait. Though, that's what the Flood does most of the time. Wait. Waiting for centuries on end for food to show itself. It does, they awaken, and they eat. That is how it has always been, since the beginning of time. However, this particular Command Form had other plans in mind. The others, the infection, combat, and carrier forms only had one thing on their minds. To eat. Gravemind, however, had a bigger appetite. He desired all answers.

Infinite knowledge…

The human AI had come close to this, but she was unwilling to cooperate. Gravemind tried to alter her personality programming and her memory matrix, but she still hid the information he desired. His link with her was sketchy, but now the spunky, snide AI had become impassive, and useless to his desires. The AI was dying, however, only able to hang on to her stored information for a limit of three more years. So, Gravemind settled in to wait. After all, what was three years to a Command form like him…?

* * *

Gravemind jerked awake in the main counsel chamber, which had been turned into a sort of incubator for the next wave of infection forms. He had sensed something chilling, something that he had not experienced in almost 10,000 years. Cold panic spread through his body. Could it be…? No. It couldn't. No worry. Just sleep.

Gravemind turned his gigantic maw to the right and looked at the little captured AI. Cortana's hologram had been wrapped in tentacles, with the face left open to the room. She stared out blankly, the fiery spark of life gone from her features. She was cut off from technology and any other form of computer, trapping her to the tiny holo-pad. She still had some spark left in her eyes, if one looked deep enough. Gravemind couldn't really reprogram the AI, but he could suppress the personality like a normal Flood could. He had guessed that the need to protect data was part of her base programming. She surprised him at how much like a human she actually was.

Gravemind settled down and began to think. Nothing could induce fear on him, except one thing, but he dismissed it. That man was long since dead, for he killed him with his own tentacles. The man still continued to scare him with his looming power, as if he could come back from the dead. Gravemind visibly shuddered. No one should have that kind of power to themselves, not even him.

Just as Gravemind had settled down, his sensor net had flared red. His Flood brethren were technically part of him, an extension of his own mind. He could see through their eyes. He felt their pains, and he could use them like a weapon if he wished. He had a sensor net of thousands of eyes and ears. Flood don't technically "see". They have eyes like inferred, except they didn't see amounts of heat, but amounts of energy. The highest energy was white and low energy was a dull red. He tuned his eyes and projected the sight of a combat form hefting a sniper rifle into his own mind and Cortana's, so the little AI would have something to look at other than the exiting door.

Gravemind saw a Pelican drop-ship was flying through a gigantic chamber in the area above them, entering the holy city. Using the flood-vision, he saw the energy of the ship. The hull was a cool blue, the engines purple, but pure white energy leaked out of the back of the ship like a comet's tail. Whatever the humans had in the back, it was leaking like a reactor. This was not very good for Gravemind, who had only seen this once before, where it had ended badly for him.

Just then, the back of the ship burst open and a large round object, propelled by mini-rockets accelerated out of the back, straight for where the Forerunner ship once stood. The energy of object itself was a vibrant yellow, while the energy in the middle was a murky white. Gravemind made a note of this, before he noticed that the Pelican was still leaking white energy. Gravemind became uneasy. He noted to his fellow Flood to follow the ship, en masse to where ever it landed. Combat forms eagerly replied and carriers ambled behind, stumbling quickly to the ship.

The ship had stopped and was hovering in front of a large platform, one that was right outside of the room he was in. Panicking, the ancient creature told all the combat forms to fire all weapons at the Pelican. Fuel rod cannons and the plasma turrets spread fiery plasma along the hull of the ship, but the plasma collected and exploded in all directions as the Asguard shield on the ship sent the plasma flying out in all directions, annihilating all the Flood forms in a two hundred yard radius. The ship aimed its chain gun at the wall and fired a full battery at the wall. The thumps could be heard in the atrium. The gun stopped, making only a tiny dent in the thick Covenant wall. Gravemind calmed down, having the door sealed in living flesh and the wall surrounding him impervious to nothing less than a Nova warhead. Then, the Pelican released a large salvo of Ancient drones, which proceeded to tear apart the wall and blow holes the size of the cars into the wall. Gravemind felt the shattered wall fragments. He switched his vision to his own and had just enough time to see Master Chief jump into the room through the hole and walk towards him.

The Chief had his armor on, but he was a fountain of pure white energy, a firestorm in the dull red room. The armor wasn't the source; the energy was bursting from the seams, like he was made of fire, and was eager to escape. The human had only the energy of a normal person the first time he got this close to Gravemind, but this time, the fountain of energy was almost blinding. Gravemind mentally questioned Cortana about this, but she remained impassive. The AI did show a flicker of her repressed emotions. Was it fear, concern, or surprise? Gravemind couldn't read it.

"Why do you not look at me directly, freak?"

The Master Chief looked up at the ancient intelligence, and asked the creature again, this time more directly.

"Why do you look away?"

Gravemind spoke, "**Your power… I have seen it before… It is as old as I…**"

Chief glanced at Cortana's form and looked back at the Flood.

"We both know why I'm here." His voice grew steely.

"**She is more human then I first thought… You seemed to prove that, just now. But I must know more.**"

"That's where we have a problem."

Gravemind lifted a tentacle and jabbed it at the Chief's head. It grazed the side of his helmet, shattering it in half and sending one half of it to the floor. The face under it was untouched, with the exception of one scratch under the eye. The eye was a steely blue with a diamond pupil, like that of an enraged animal. His spiky brown hair danced in the wind of energy around him. Gravemind pulled his tentacle back and placed it beside him. Chief grabbed his helmet's remnants from around his head and ripped them off. His other eye was an exact match.

"**Why did you not dodge it, human?"**

"Your aim was off by 18 degrees. You would inevitably miss."

"**You have changed, human. What are you?**"

Chief gripped the helmet and shattered it.

"I'm the Reaper."

Gravemind roared in anger and slashed back at him with the tentacle that surrounded Cortana. This time the Chief sidestepped out of the way, grabbing the whip. He twisted and kicked it, breaking it in half. Gravemind roared in pain and opened his mouth wide. Chief jumped into the gapping maw. That was enough to break the bonds holding Cortana's mind down. She snapped awake and screamed at the Chief.

"John, no!"

The Chief faltered in midair.

"Corta- Argh!" He yelled as a tentacle whipped from the side and slammed him into the wall. Cortana yelled to the Chief, but he was just muttering to himself, coughing up blood. Gravemind swung his head from Cortana to the Chief.

"**You will both pay for this impudence.**"

Chief lifted an open hand, which was now crackling with electricity.

"Go to Hell."

The Chief grabbed Gravemind, sending millions of volts through the creature.

Gravemind exploded.


	2. Master Chief, Version 2

Gravemind's death sent gore everywhere. Apparently, a ten million volt Zatn'kitel was enough to kill a Command form like him. It was like putting a shredder round in a carrier form. The explosion was like a Jackhammer missile in the gut, sending the Chief flying back into the **opposite** wall, which was a good fifteen feet away. The improved armor shielding saved him from the main force of the blast, but it was enough to cause some internal bleeding.

Cortana's holo-pad was mostly undamaged, except for a slight crack in the display glass. Her hologram became fractured on one side, so she edged to the side of the holo-panel.

"John! Answer me damn it!" She called anxiously. Explosive swearing answered. The Chief's form got up and staggered over to a support. Cortana sighed in relief and shot him a glance.

"I didn't think that you would come back!" She yelled at him, noting that a trickle of blood came from his clenched teeth.

"And I thought **_In Amber Clad _**was going to blow this place and Delta Halo to bits, but _someone_ didn't get that far!" The Chief growled back, getting his balance. "Besides… I made a promise."

Cortana bit her lower lip and glanced at the hole in the wall.

"We still have a mission to do."

The Chief shook his head.

"**_We_** don't have a mission. **_I _**have a mission." He said, tapping a new control panel on his arm plates. A beeping light answered.

"Chief, what's going on? What happened to the old **Mjolner **armor? And what were those new weapons?" Cortana asked, now confused and scared. The Chief was stranger today than he had ever been since she had met him, and that disturbed her. Occasionally, when she raised her voice, he would wince, like suffering a bad migraine. His eyes had changed, too. The diamond pupils were gone, but his eyes were too focused, and fragmented. His movements were jerky and not as graceful as before.

The Chief finished typing and a tiny sphere popped out of the wrist. He caught it and placed it on his head, just in front of his right ear. A seal pooped and it stuck to his head. A piece of metal jutted out from it, a tiny microphone appeared at the end. He tapped it twice and a tone issued from the microphone.

"This is **SPARTAN-117**. **_Highiron_**, can you get a lock on my signal?" Chief asked into the radio. A strange voice responded, through static.

"_This is the **Highiron** to Master Chief. I cannot get a lock on your signal. High Charity must have more powerful shielding than I first anticipated. The lock-on should take no more than four minutes."_

A combat form wielding a plasma sword ambled though the opening of the hole in the wall. The Chief glanced up at it and turned back to Cortana.

"Make it two."

_"You got it."_ The radio went dead.

"Chief! What are you doing!" Cortana asked, shocked that even the Chief was going up to the Flood unarmed.

The Master Chief lifted his arm and a section of armor slid away and revealed a Zatn'kitel that fell into John's hand. He hefted the small, snake-like weapon and squeezed the pad at his fingers. A lightning bolt slammed into the combat form and overloaded the sword. The flood weakly got up to challenge the Spartan and received a second shock. The beast hit the ground, dead. The Chief fired a third shot and the carcass disintegrated into nothing. Cortana gasped at the efficiency of this weapon.

A roar could be heard from the opening of the hole and it sounded pissed. It sounded like Gravemind's children had come to pay their respects… by killing the Chief. The Master Chief sighed and pulled a hidden grenade off his belt. It was a sphere with four lights on the sides. Chief turned it a quarter turn and held it in his hands. The lights flashed red and began to countdown.

The Chief leaned back to throw and released the grenade. The device went into the hole. The Chief waited a full ten seconds. Cortana held a "breath". The Chief stood, puzzled for a moment, and then his eyes grew wide. He ran over to Cortana and placed a hand on the holo-pad. She was siphoned into his neural implant. Cold mercury filled his mind and Cortana was added to his brain. The Chief ignored her inquiries and tapped his wrist computer. A Goa'uld shield flared over him and an Asguard Shield flared over that one.

"John? What are you doing?" She whispered, now scared by his fear. There was a rumble though the floor and a white wall of light pushed its way into the room. John threw his arms up, crossed in front of his face. The light impacted the Asguard shield and fought in a struggle of energies. The Asguard shield flickered and died, releasing the wall of pulsating light to impact the Goa'uld shield. That soon faded, too. The wall of light was upon the Chief and Cortana and then there was a sound of rushing wind.

Cortana appeared on a type of isolated holo panel in a large, bright observatory that offered a nice view of space. High Charity hung outside of the window, Delta Halo slowly spinning. Crystal control panels surrounded the room. The floor was engraved with a giant symbol. It resembled a pyramid with a sun hanging over it. Cortana recognized this symbol from records of fossil digs on Earth. She looked over a bit further…

And saw John's body sitting at the other end of the room, bleeding and not moving.

A pang of fear flooded through Cortana and she tried to access the ship's systems, or do something to help John. She snarled in frustration and tore her eyes from the wounded Spartan's body. A tiny, grey man was standing at nearby controls, glancing at the Chief's body. Cortana noted that this creature seemed to resemble the reports from the alien files from Roswell. This could have been a new addition to the Covenant. The tiny man walked over to John's body, looked him over and walked past Cortana.

Cortana yelled at him, "Who are you? Some new bastard recruit of the Covenant!"

The creature froze and turned to her. He tilted his head to the side.

"_I am not a Covenant bastard, as you may say, Cortana._" it said.

Cortana glared at him, angry that he wasn't trying to help John. She turned an angry dark purple.

"Why don't you say who you exactly are, hm!" She asked.

"_We don't have time to talk while we can save him._" He said, glancing at Master Chief. "_So I will get to the point, right now._"

Cortana toned down, still furious, but interested. The little man stood straighter.

"_I am Trojan, Third Lieutenant of the Asguard Fleet. And this is the Asguard ship **Highiron**. And I am here to help **SPARTAN-117** kill the Ori and save this dimension from a cataclysmic doom._"


	3. The Mind's Cruelty

**Some Chief x Cortana starting, so don't fricking complain about any mushy shitte. IT'S THERE AND THE STORY WILL GET BETTER!**

* * *

Cortana watched the Chief being taken out of his armor. The tiny Asguard had used a beaming teleporter to remove key components of the Chief's armor, which was reveal to be integrated with superior Asguard and Goa'uld technology. Soon, the Chief was laid out on a marble slab and attached to several cords.

His breathing was so shallow that Cortana couldn't see any movement, but his strong heart had begun to flutter. His form was the same as before, the black matte under-suit still on. His hair had grown to an inch, and was spiky. He had a streak of silver in his hair, a feature that only had been present when he had begun his rescue. His face was untouched, except for a scar where Gravemind had scratched him, and a strange scar on his neck. It was in the shape of the symbol on the floor. Cortana asked Trojan about this, but he had just said it was part of Earth. Strange.

Cortana was filled to the brim with questions and could only suppress them as the Chief was tagged with lasers and a sweeping scanner bathed him in blue light. Cortana had always had a bond like no other with the Master Chief.

_A special bond…_ She thought to herself.

She shook her head and brushed her hair from her eyes. She couldn't afford to let her emotions for John interfere with her mission.

_Maybe later…? _The mischievous voice in her head said.

Trojan sighed and stepped back from the table. Cortana leaned forward and looked over the Chief. Trojan stepped over to a panel and tapped a few crystals and moved a gem over the panel. The edges of the table opened and snapped a dome shut over the Chief. A white light brightened up the Chief and several fire-fly like lights hovered over the Spartan's body.

"What are you doing?" Cortana asked.

"_I can't revive the Chief's body in its current state."_

"What!" Cortana screamed, panic spreading and numbers on her surface frozen in place. Trojan frowned.

_"I need to separate the mind from the body for the healing processes to begin. It is not a death notice, Cortana. It means that I will have to keep the body **in** the ship to finish his healing."_ Trojan said, moving controls faster than Cortana had ever seen him move before.

"Wait… Wait… Are you saying that J-… Master Chief will be an AI?" Cortana asked; eager to hear from the Chief. Trojan nodded and pressed a few more buttons. The second holo-panel lifted up form the floor and warmed. A familiar voice drifted out of the speakers.

"…Trojan… am I…?" The Chief asked.

_"You are indeed part of the ship now, Chief. For a temporary time of four more hours."_

Cortana was surprised at the tone of John's voice. She had never heard him sound fatigued like this. It was like all he wanted to do was quit and sit. The holo-panel next to her warmed and grew bright. A dull black haze lifted to the area just above the panel. Two yellow eyes appeared in the mist.

"Trojan, how in hell do I do this…?" He asked.

_"The ship will automatically choose your proper form and hologram. Just step out."_

The Chief stepped out of the mist. Cortana opened her mouth to talk to him, but stopped.

The Chief's mind was in the form of a gigantic crimson dragon. Leathery wings unfolded from his back, yellowed eyes gazing down at her. Golden claws scraped the edges of the holo-pad. A long neck extended from the torso and brought an enormous head towards Cortana. The hologram was easily five feet taller than Cortana.

She saw the head come down to eye level and she stepped back, unsure of how to handle this. She had never seen another AI take the form of anything but a human-like form. The Chief was definitely not in that category. The dragon stared at her, head inches from hers. The eyes glanced over her figure and a tongue darted out of the mouth, tasting the air and darting back in. Cortana lifted a hand and placed it on the dragon's nose.

"John…?" She whispered.

The dragon's eyes flashed open further and the pupils turned white. The dragon arched back and roared in pain. A pillar of greasy fire leapt out of the mouth and grazed the ceiling.

"He can feel pain!" She screamed at Trojan. "What is hurting him?"

Trojan flicked a wrist over a panel and the dragon disappeared. The Chief's body jerked and settled. Trojan sighed and said something about a system malfunction.

_"The devices in this ship were to keep him from the pain, but his mind is too far gone…"_

"What are you saying? What pain?" Cortana asked loudly.

Behind her, in the vacuum of space, **_High Charity_** exploded in a firestorm.

* * *


	4. A Mission Incomplete

John woke up in cold liquid. He immediately thought it was a test and tried to find a way to the surface. But he couldn't move. He felt an oxygen mask on his face and knew he was in a stasis-observation tube. These were only used for emergencies when mass surgery had to take place, where spilling blood wasn't a preferable option. He also knew that Trojan had failed to revive him completely on the ship. That would be the only logical reason to be in the medical atrium.

John opened his eyes and saw a team of scientists standing on the observation deck. A pang of surprise flooded through his blood.

Doctor Catherine Halsey stood in the window next to some scientists and was gazing down at the Chief with concern playing across her face. The Spartan ripped his gaze from the observers and tried to move.

What the hell was she doing here? It didn't make sense, but it was logical that she might have heard about the new Stargate and the Asguard. And who didn't know about the sacrifice he made for humanity? Besides Cortana, but that was necessary. She couldn't be told. But if Halsey was here, then his plan was falling apart at the seams. She would tell Cortana. And Cortana may try to help the Chief.

And if that happened, they were all S.O.L.

The doctors saw him move and keyed a mike. A splitting headache racked the Master Chief when he heard the harsh voices come over the intercom placed over his ear.

"**_Chief? Can you hear me?"_**

The Chief nodded. The headache was getting stronger. So was the Chief's anger.

**_"Chief, we're going to ask you a few questions…"_**

The Chief's eyes flashed open and glared at the scientists. The badges on their coats were bearing the insignia of ONI: Section Three. They didn't want to ask him questions.

They wanted to dissect him.

John's eyes grew into the dagger pupils and pierced the faces of all in the room. Halsey winced and put a hand over her mouth.

"…John…" Cortana said, now hovering near his pod. John glared at her. Her hologram disappeared and she transferred to his neural implant. She filled his mind with cold mercury.

"John, please, let me help… please let them all help you…" Cortana whispered, pleading Master Chief.

"**_Did you authorize this?"_** he asked.

"Yes, but they promised they would…" She started.

**_"TRAITOR!"_**

An icicle stabbed through Cortana's heart.

Cortana had installed a tiny sensor in the Chief's neural implant that monitored brain functions. She had felt abnormally high brain wave patterns when she had been reunited with him. His brain wave patterns spiked to 110 percent. She based this off the normal ten percent used by a normal human brain. She switched it to a normal scan. He now was using 12 percent of his brain. Then it spiked to 15 percent.

His anger raised his power levels.

His brain was filled to the brim with hatred, betrayal, and blind rage. His brain wasn't normal though. He had downloaded the knowledge of the Ancients. The knowledge was both killing him, and forcing Ascension on him.

"John… please…" Cortana pleaded, trying to enter his mind further. The dragon was waiting for her.

**_"BETRAYAL!" _**The dragon picked her up and slammed her into the outside world. She reappeared in front of Dr. Halsey in a holo-pad. The Chief began to glow in a fiery light. The pod grew cracks and strained under stress. The liquid under the glass grew to a boiling temperature.

The Chief's eyes flared and the pod exploded. Water and wires mixed with metal spread across the floor. The oxygen mask stayed on the Chief's face. He grabbed it and ripped it off.

**"Twenty percent… is rising…"** Said the data pad Cortana gave Halsey to monitor the Chief's brain.

John gripped his head in pain with one hand, and the other hand twisted and jerked around. The shadows of the room slithered over to him and clothed his form. An alarm blared. The Chief took a look at his cloak of shadows and felt a trickle of blood issue from an ear. He jumped to the side as a triennium dart of tranquilizer hit the spot where his head once was. He turned.

Four men hefting sniper rifles aimed their guns at him from the top of the atrium, obviously in charge of security. The Chief was on them in seconds. He picked up a gun from one of the hands and wrenched the second man's gun from his grip, breaking fingers in the process. He slammed his fist into the man's face and shot the man's partner. He then turned quickly and fired a couple of rounds into the observation box. Everyone but Cortana and Dr. Halsey were still standing. The Chief was conflicted.

He had been taught that, when preserving a mission, one should always eliminate threats. Cortana and Halsey weren't immediate threats, but they could still do harm. The soldier inside said to take them out, the part of him that was in pain said to preserve them, to keep life.

The Chief dropped the guns and walked over to the combat storage closet and ripped the door open. His armor lay inside, minus the helmet. Oh well, he could manage. He reached out with his hand and brushed the armor. There was a bright flash of light and the armor was covering him. A sledgehammer played around in his brain. He heard Dr. Halsey walk up behind him. He saw a purple light shine on the floor nearby and knew that Cortana had appeared as well.

"John. Your mission is over, so please stop." Halsey said, placing a shaking hand on his shoulder. John suddenly realized that he was on his knees. He slowly got up and turned to the good doctor. Cortana gasped.

His eyes had turned from a cool blue to brilliant glowing silver. He shook his head and two streams of blood came rolling out of his ears. His scar was now leaving a tiny glow in the air.

"My mission will not be stopped. One life for millions, ma'am. I can't refuse." he said, weak enough to cough up a tiny amount of blood.

"John… please…" Cortana started, but the Chief turned and walked to a door. Cortana sealed the door with a hiss and the Chief stood in front of the new wall. He turned to the two women and muttered, "Fire, platform ten." Just then, a radio transmission hissed over the palm pad that Halsey had placed in her pocket.

_"Ma'am! MAC platform ten is changing bearings and firing on your position!"_

Deep in space, a lone Mac Platform fired its rockets and fired a slug down towards UNSC head-quarters. Alarms blared, but no one could really do anything. The Chief stood silent and staring at the two others in the atrium. Halsey lifted her hand and Cortana sighed in frustration. The door hissed open. The Chief nodded and closed his eyes.

In space, the MAC round tore towards the Earth. There was a bright flash of light, and a hyper-space window opened in front of it. The round disappeared into the purple, writhing mass and the door closed off.

The Chief screamed in pain as even more blood dripped to the floor. Thousands of knives pierced his brain. Dr. Halsey and Cortana drew closer.

The Chief tapped his wrist and the zatn'kitel fell into his hand. He lifted it and fired it into Halsey. She hit the ground, asleep. Cortana cried out and yelled something at the Chief. He winced in pain and fired a round into the overhead holo-gram conduit.

Silence.

Cortana and Halsey would be out of it for a few minutes. The Chief hefted the gun and stood up. His eyes gazed over the destruction. He turned to the door and whispered.

**_"One for one million… think it through…"

* * *

_**


	5. Mission Log, Part 1

Cortana was the first to wake up, although Halsey came in close second. They couldn't have been out for more than four minutes. The Chief had his Zat tuned to the lowest level. Dr. Halsey picked herself up and stood over Cortana's hologram.

"Doctor…" Cortana started, staring at the doorway with a blank expression on her face. "I need to know every thing. I need to know what made the Chief this way…"

Halsey looked over Cortana suspiciously and turned away.

"His name is John, Cortana. Call him by the name he was born with, not his rank."

Before Cortana could say anything, Halsey slipped a computer chip in her data pad and fed the information to Cortana. It was the complete mission report that she was missing. Cortana opened the file, which was a pretty big file, and began to read…

* * *

**A WEEK EARLIER…**

A Jackal hit the ground, minus a head. Purple blood was spread on the floor. The Chief fired a final round in the beast's corpse and reloaded his Battle Rifle. He slammed a new clip in and steadied his aim. Sure enough, a Brute hefting two plasma rifles came bellowing down the well lit hallway. The Chief knew that using anything less than a grenade or a shotgun against these things was suicide, so he aimed for the eyes. The Brute's head exploded in blood. Blinded and bleeding, the beast hit the floor, growling and whimpering. The Chief ran up to it and aimed some well placed shots at the Brute's spinal column.

Another Brute flashed from a shadow with surprising stealth and jammed a hairy arm into the Chief's back, knocking him to the floor. The shields flared up and died. Sparks danced in the air as the behemoth rammed his fists into the Spartan's back. John felt the blood on his back as the muscled freak pounded his armor in. The Chief wouldn't reveal his front side, which held even more damage.

The Brute held its fists in the air for a second, and then slammed his arms back down. Time seemed to slow down to a stop as Master Chief experienced what his late team-mates described as "Spartan Time". The fists came down and the Chief saw the rippling muscles, ready to deliver the final blow.

The room began to glow and the Chief was caught in a brilliant blue and white light. There was sound of rushing wind and the Brute's fists slammed into the empty floor. He roared in fury...

The Chief found himself on the deck of a strange, new ship. It was well lit and very big. There was sound of tinkling glass and a fountain. Overhead lights feed bright light onto certain areas and spread a calm glow all around. The walls were a white marble with echoing whispers resounding around him, quiet and calming. A humongous window formed a type of quarter-dome to view space. The space battle evolved in the vacuum.

And it didn't look good.

The Forerunner ship had indeed taken some damage, but it still put up a fight. It didn't appear to have shields, but it was made of a strange metal that resisted most attacks. Beams of energy lanced out from it and impacted the UNSC fleet. 90 percent of the hits resulted in casualties. The Chief locked his gaze on the ship, arms hurting in sympathetic pain for so many lives lost.

There were the sounds of footsteps and the Chief turned around. He was regretfully unarmed, his weapons seemingly misplaced. Hand to hand combat would have to do…

…Until he saw the tiny Asguard standing before him.

The tiny gray man looked over the Chief and huffed. He walked away, leaving the stunned Chief standing in place. The Chief didn't know whether these little men posed a threat or not, but he figured that since they didn't fire on any Earth ships, they didn't come here to start a fight. The Chief jumped when the little man spoke.

_"Your armor's shielding systems are extremely crude. Battle damage is drawn out to bare minimum. Your armor is a junk heap."_

The Chief was a bit concerned. His armor was designed to be more powerful than an Elite's armor. If it was crude to these new aliens, then Earth could have a serious problem.

_"I assure you Master Chief, we did not cross an inter-dimensional wormhole and travel in hyper-space for two hours just to fight. Even though the task, morbid as it sounds, would be a simple task, we as a people have proven ourselves to be allies of Earth and all of its host planets…" _The little Asguard said. The Chief relaxed and nodded. He turned to the ships attacking Earth. A small party of the ships and an escape pod from the Forerunner ship burst from the protective shield and made a beeline to Earth. The Chief turned his attention to the strange little man.

"Who would you be...?" He asked. The Asguard blinked.

_"I am Trojan, Third Lieutenant of the Asguard fleet… This is the warship **Highiron**. I have been sent here by the Asguard fleet ahead of the rest, to offer our services against the race you call the Covenant."_ As if to answer for the Master Chief, two human vessels exploded behind him. Trojan sighed and hailed the Forerunner ship.

_"This is the Asguard vessel, **Highiron**. I am sure that such actions can be taken to preserve life, instead of extinguishing it. Please respond."_

The Forerunner ship changed course and began scanning for the trace of the radio signal. Trojan moved a control crystal aside.

"_Disengaging cloaking generator…now."_

In the vacuum of space, the Forerunner ship loomed over the dying ships of the UNSC fleet. The Asguard ship, however, dwarfed even that. It was in similar size to High Charity, and resembled a flat 'T' with four blades bursting from the top and bottom. The control deck sat neatly between the two on the top.

Trojan sighed and fired a final signal.

_"This is your last chance. Surrender now."_

The Forerunner ship fired a salvo of needle thin energy beams. The Chief braced for impact. It never came. The beams impacted the shields of the ship and the beams were swept way into oblivion. Trojan actually chuckled and pressed a button.

On the Asguard ship, along the outline, there was a series of conduits. Energy flashed up and down the flows, spreading a light halo around the ship. The energy raced along the outside of the ship, faster and faster. Trojan turned his attention to readout.

"_Chief, I suggest that all of the human ships that can move leave the coordinates of the Covenant fleet. Minimum distance should be the upper atmosphere of the Earth."_

The Spartan nodded and relayed a message to all ships.

"This is Spartan 117 to all UNSC ships, full withdrawal into the upper atmosphere. Our new friends have a way to win us this fight, but the weapon is powerful. Maintain safe distance. Acknowledged?" John said. The UNSC fleet hesitated, and they limped behind the MAC cannon range.

The ships controlled by the Covenant were angry with the retreating prey, but they all saw the Asguard ship. Highiron glowed in a cool metallic light. The Covenant were within sneezing range now. The Chief tensed. Plasma fired. The Highiron pulsed. Thousands of fiery eyes appeared in the mass of the Covenant fleet. Hundreds of thousands of metallic eyes stared back from this one ship.

Welcome to Oblivion.

Millions of thick, pulsing lasers spiraled out of every spot exposed on the Highiron. A shockwave of energy, debris, and the remnants of the Forerunner ship disintegrated in a fiery light. Then all was quiet. Nothing but dust remained of the once mighty fleet. A few UNSC ships comically peeked around the MAC range like frightened animals.

The Chief sighed and sat on the floor. He removed his helmet. Inch long, brown, spiky hair danced in the fresh air. His hair was far too long for military standards, but since Halo, he really didn't care much about his hair. Scars littered his face, stress taking a tool showed in his eyes. A fire danced behind the pupils. His blue eyes read the area and his tired mind stopped. He relaxed and glanced over next to him and looked at the Asguard, who had come to his side and stared out the window, his hands behind his back.

_"Now comes the difficult part of the battle…"_

"What is that?"

Trojan looked at him and gave the Asguard equivalent of a smile to him.

_"We must retell our legacies…"

* * *

_

**The flash back is not yet over! How does the Chief get the Ancient Database downloaded, and why does it seem to be forcing him to Ascend? Continues next.**


	6. Mission Log, Part 2

**Finally... A new Chapter... (This one's made for humor...)

* * *

MISSION LOG CONT...**

* * *

The **UNSC** was in complete chaos. A new form of alien race, far superior to the Covenant had surfaced. They possessed many ships, each capable of innumerable amounts of firepower. The destructive force of the Forerunner ship proved to be a futile force under the might of the Asguard. At the mention of friendly intent and promise of human and Asguard help in the hundreds made more than a couple of scientists and Generals sigh in relief. The Master Chief and Trojan were still in **Highiron**, although several boarding parties tried to get into the ship. They didn't know, the only way in or out of **Highiron** was by beam transport or a ring platform. Trojan had to redirect several parties. The Master Chief requested to be put on the space platform **Cairo**.

Trojan brought the ship over the tiny MAC platform. He ran a hand over the controls and pointed at a circle of metal in the center of the room.

"_If you would please step into the circle, Master Chief... I will deposit you in the command center via the ring platform. My beaming technology needs to be reconfigured by a specialist."_

Master Chief walked over to the ring platform, snapping on his helmet. His face was hidden beneath the amber lens. Chief smacked the side of his helmet. There was a resounding click and the Chief nodded. Trojan reached over and touched a crystal. The circle in the floor around him opened up and rings of naquadah rushed up from the floor. They hung suspended around him. Something mechanical groaned and he became engulfed in a flurry of lights and sound.

The bridge of the **Cairo** was watching the Asguard ship intently. The Asguard ship paid them no heed and turned to face open space. A bright light formed in the room. Everyone turned to the center of the platform. Five rings of naquadah formed in the ceiling and swished down onto the floor. Several men brought their Battle Rifles to bear. A flash of light traveled down the rings and dissipated as the rings flew into the ceiling and disappeared. Master Chief stood in front of all the personnel. Several of the soldiers audibly sighed in relief and lowered their guns. Master Chief looked around the room. The General was gone. A few of the control panels were actually on fire. Showers of sparks fell out of the overhanging wires. The display monitors were at comical angles and relayed damage results. Chief could see the Asguard ship outside their window. The engines warmed and a blue aura covered the ship.

"Incoming transmission. It's on all bands." A junior officer said, listening into his ear phones. A familiar voice came over the speakers. The Chief stood upright.

_"I will return in four hours with my leadership to discuss the situation. Master Chief and three other people of leadership class are required for this negotiation. Trojan out." _With that, **Highiron** accelerated forward. A large hyperspace window opened in space. The ship drew close to the writhing mass and disappeared. The Chief looked at the bridge controls. An Admiral stood at the controls, looking at the section of vacuum the **Highiron **had disappeared into, as if he could watch their journey. The Admiral had short, brown hair and a scar by his eye that snaked down to his chin. He wore a white dress uniform. He had obviously attended the award ceremony. His tags read: **Admiral Jacob H. Bruenig**. Chief walked up and saluted. Bruenig saw this and looked over the Chief with the corner of his eye. Admiral smiled and saluted back at the Chief.

"At ease, Master Chief. It seems you just made humanity a new playmate."

"Sir. I regret to inform you that the AI, Cortana has been… terminated in an attempt to destroy the Covenant's Holy City…" The Chief blurted, his brain flashing images of the flood infested High Charity. He shook the images away. The Admiral sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"It will be a true loss to us all. I'm sure Dr. Halsey would have been saddened by this loss too, but the past is the past. Cortana fulfilled her orders, just as you are to begin yours."

"Sir…?" Bruenig smiled.

"We have inter-dimensional visitors Chief, and they want to see if yours truly could come along. We need to get the brass ready. These little guys are one alien race we can't afford to piss off." Bruenig said. Chief nodded and began to walk away. He stopped and turned.

"Sir, we still need two other officers…"

"Ah… I see. And the real shitty part about this is that I don't know where the leadership is. ONI isn't gonna come up here and all the Generals are off piloting rescue ships…" Bruenig said, a hand scratching his chin as he thought. An alarm was triggered and a slip space disruption appeared off the port side. The Chief tensed as he saw a Covenant cruiser eased out. It swung around and faced the platform.

"Persistent sons-of-a-bitch!" The Admiral growled, slamming a fist onto the control panel. The MAC gun above them groaned as it struggled to charge. A beeping alarm alerted them to the communications coming from the ship. A picture video appeared on the screen. Sergeant Johnson and Miranda Keyes stood in the cruisers control room. To the Chief's surprise, the Arbiter stood behind them, adjusting controls. Another Elite walked into the room and began tapping readout gages.

"Is the party over already? Damn it! I had brought some party animal friends along, too." Johnson said, smiled on his weary face. Miranda raised an eyebrow and found another panel that needed attention. Jacob keyed the mike.

"We're fine. We just made some new friends… Do you want to tell me why you have a bunch of Elites running around your ship…?"

This time, The Arbiter came up to the screen and bowed his head.

**"The Elites and the Hunters have seen the falsehood of the Prophets… By brothers and I pledge our alliance and will obey any task set forth."**

"It's true, sir. He stopped Halo from activating and he killed the head Brute, Mohawk…"

**"Tartarus…"**

"Whatever… We actually owe him our lives. Even the Hunters have learned to salute higher brass… but it's kind of hard when you don't have much of a forehead… We saw and heard everything during the battle over our long range sensors. You've got three good people ready to attend that meeting, Jake…" Johnson said.

"Who's the third…?" Chief asked. Johnson threw an arm around the Arbiter's shoulders.

"Who else but Mister Smiley here…?"

Both on the in the cruiser and on **Cairo**, the Arbiter and the Master Chief slapped their foreheads and groaned.

* * *

The Chief, Miranda, Johnson, Admiral Bruenig, and the Arbiter stood in the conference room. They quietly waited in their dress uniforms. Johnson had been yelled at for trying to get the Elite a suit, but the Arbiter had his armor whitewashed to a brilliant white sheen. The Chief's hair had grown to an inch and was spiky brown. His face had gotten scars all over, but after an hour of rest, he seemed less tense. His blue eyes never left the Arbiter, who tried to stay comfortable in the cushiony seat. The Elite's eyes flashed at the Chief and the Spartan looked away. The Arbiter rose and stepped over to the Chief.

**"You do know yet trust me… Master Chief…"** The tall creature said, tilting its head to one side. The Chief glared up at him. Every pore of his body screamed at him to kill this thing, but he didn't. The Arbiter reached for something on his belt. The Chief tensed.

The Elite got to its knees and presented a deactivated Plasma Sword to the Chief. The Spartan looked at it and picked it up. The blade activated and a silvery blade burst from the holder. The Chief looked at the Arbiter through the gap in the blades. The Elite presented itself, head lowered in honor and trust. The Chief knew how proud these creatures were, and that gesture spoke volumes. The blade disappeared. The Master Chief tapped the Elite on the shoulder and pointed to the seat next to him. The Arbiter nodded and sat. The sword was laid on the table. Johnson nodded in approval. The Chief's distrust faded away like water. He relaxed and smiled at the Arbiter for a second, who returned a curving smile.

A bright flash of light fell from the ceiling and a tiny grey man sat in an elaborate throne at the end of the table. Computer lights flashed around the seated Asguard. Trojan stood next to him and nodded at the Chief. The man in the throwe looked around the room and spoke.

_"Greetings… I am Thor, Supreme Commander of The Asguard Fleet. I have brought a human diplomat with me, whom I have worked with in the past. I hope this man will answer any questions you may have about the alliance…"_

The Chief and the Arbiter sat up straight. The Admiral tried to look welcoming. Johnson and Miranda brought their heads off the table. A second beam of light came down and deposited a tall, grey haired man in their midst. Thor spoke again.

_"May I introduce the Commander of the human vessel **Fire Stallion**, Commander Brigadier General Jack O'Neill…?" _Thor said. Jack looked around the room, a gentle smile on his face as he straightened his suit.

"Howdy, folks!" Jack exclaimed. The Chief and the Arbiter gave each other desperate looks as Johnson slammed his head into the table.

* * *


	7. Mission Log, Part 3

* * *

Much to the Master Chief's dismay, the Asguard fleet was not like he expected. Less than fifty ships and only a small handful of ships were anywhere close to the size of **Highiron**. Jack O'Neill had stressed that those of similar size were strictly personnel and leadership class vessels. **Highiron** was a _flagship guardian_, a type of cruiser that was made solely for the purpose of defending the leadership carriers as the main body could lash out behind the foreword guard. All the attacks would hit the **Highiron**, which could link its shields with the carriers, making an invulnerable sphere of protection against any attackers. Attacks could go out, but they sure as hell weren't getting in. And if this range of defense didn't work, it was best to kiss your little grey ass good-bye.

The fact that these Ori could pierce this ultimate defense and destroy a flagship with ease made John a little scared about facing these almighty god-like creatures. It was like discovering the Covenant for the first time all over again. If the Asguard couldn't finish the fight, why they needed this Earth's defenses and John himself made things all too confusing. His head was way too cluttered with the knowledge of another world. Halo stayed in his mind, as did the Flood. Those mental scars may never leave. He thought of Cortana, risking it all for the chance of humanity rising from the ashes. He felt a pang of regret. He realized with bitter acknowledgement that he could have stayed behind and detonated **In Amber Clad**'s reactors manually and Cortana could have been sent to infiltrate the Forerunner ship. He shook his head. The Asguard would have been waiting for it anyway. She would have been destroyed in the crossfire. The Chief looked out the window.

After an extensive meeting and several small arguments between the Arbiter, Johnson, and Jack O'Neill, John had requested a break. Johnson had ripped out a cigar and stormed off, losing a fight over why they shouldn't just have the Asguard blow up each Halo. Jack and surprisingly, the Arbiter had argued back that the Asguard weren't meant to play God with the Halo's. They needed to focus on the Ori. After this, the Arbiter left for a walk, Jack O'Neill and Thor left to talk with Miranda Keyes over some of the official matters. John hated politics as much as the war, which could be ending soon. The thought made him happy.

The Chief looked out into the darkness of space. The Asguard ships and the human vessels from the UNSC lazily floated by. The battle scarred Earth lay below them. Rouge Covenant still roamed the planet. The Chief vowed to uproot every last one of the purple blooded freaks. He looked into the stars. He thought of all the planets glassed. How many were there now? This new thing, the Stargate offered new hope. Colonization for all. Chief looked up into the stars deeper and saw two that caught his attention. They were next to each other, glowing blue in the night. He stared into them for a full minute. He then realized that the blue stars were his own eyes, reflected off the glass. He noticed his appearance for the first time. His hair was brown and spiky. It was surely longer than military standards, but being in his little **Mjolner** world made it insignificant. His eyes were weary, but still showed a cold, icy blue fire like always. His face was aged, lines under his eyes from battle. They weren't all that noticeable, as Miranda Keyes had once told him, but he still saw every little groove. He had scars, too, but one from his temple to his cheeks shone silver in the dim light. He traced two fingers down the scarred flesh. A second reflection appeared in the window. He noticed the shape, but this time, he wasn't reaching for a gun. He didn't turn to face the Arbiter, but still nodded.

"Now you know what politics are like for humans…" The Arbiter shook his elongated head. His armor sparkled in the light.

**"I have fought many battles… That one was one of the toughest…" **The Chief turned to him. A twitch of a smile crossed his lips.

"I think you did very well for someone to come from a hierarchy like that…" Chief said, staring at the tall alien. It seemed so strange to the Master Chief to see one of these things not trying to attack him. His soldier's sense was screaming at him, but his common sense had a stronger hold. He trusted this one, and his troops trusted _him_. The Chief walked past the Arbiter, walking slowly through the stripped hallway. The Arbiter suddenly spoke, now by the glass.

**"It really is beautiful… your planet… I have always been surrounded by steel and punishment, but looking at the Earth… I feel calm… no more anger about the corrupt war or other things…" **The Chief looked over his shoulder. He saw the Arbiter run a hand over the glass. He saw the reflection of the Elite and the Earth mix. He had never seen any form of Covenant show compassion for anything human oriented. **"Do you think your kind will accept me… my brothers…?"**

"They will… in time… Not at first… but give the human race a while… we will be as close as brothers eventually… It may just give some people a strange feeling to see a Grunt shopping for groceries…" The Chief said, smiling. He imagined a pair of Grunts standing on each others shoulders pushing a cart down a Stop-N-Shop, arguing over sales prices. He offered his mind a joke for once in a great while. The Arbiter gave a smile and was about to speak again, when the Elite was engulfed in a streak of light. The Chief sighed and looked at the floor. He felt a queasy sensation and then he was engulfed in a flash of light himself.

* * *

He stood in the bridge of the **Highiron**. Miranda, Johnson, and the Arbiter were standing, looking around in the center of the room. The Chief put his hands in his pockets and watched the control panel. Thor and Trojan stood behind the controls. Jack O'Neill was leaning against the wall, hands crossed. He eyed the Chief.

"I think it's time we showed you what we've got to deal with, eh?" Jack said. Thor nodded and moved a control crystal. A door on the far side hissed open and Trojan walked to the entrance.

_"Are you coming or not?"_ The humans quickly stepped up and followed the little man. The Chief walked forward to catch up with Jack.

"Commander O'Neill…" Jack stopped and turned to the Chief.

"Master Chief… call me Jack. I am not you're superior officer here. I am a neutral party."

"…Jack then… what are you going to show us?" Jack just smiled and walked behind Trojan. Johnson looked at the Chief with a puzzled look and kept walking. They came to a huge door and watched as it hissed open. Inside was nothing but a large stone structure. Jack smiled and walked over to the smaller stone structure. The Chief looked over the stone. It was impressive, but he had always though that the Stargate was some piece of incredibly advanced technology similar to the Asguard ships. This looked like they dug it out of the ground. Jack walked up and placed a hand on the center of the smaller consol. An orange light turned on under his hand. Seven orange triangles appeared in the darkness. An overhead light turned on and revealed a large section of black stone. The Chief marveled at the technology. Jack pressed the first glyph. The inner ring rumbled and began to turn. The Gate groaned as the ancient metal spun and stopped. The lower right chevron lit up brighter and locked in place. Trojan turned to the humans as Jack pressed the second glyph.

_"This is the Stargate, or Chaapa'ai in ancient Egyptian speak. Normally, Stargates are usually this size, but the Halo installation that we are going to are much bigger. The Gate works on the laws of physics, using six points in space and a point of origin. This depends of course on the distance."_ Jack watched as the Gate groaned to a halt and the lower left chevron flashed and locked. The Gate began to turn.

_"The Super Gate was designed by the Ori to create a wormhole for instant travel to other Galaxies. The Ori also developed an inter-dimensional wormhole, but we too have harnessed it." _The Gate locked and spun again.

_"Long ago, the Ancients, the ones who built the Stargates, came here to explore over 10,000 years ago. They met a race called the Forerunners, beings who built the Halos. The Forerunners welcomed the Ancients and the two kinds live in harmony for 200 years. Soon, the Forerunners and the Ancients began to separate. The Forerunners were jealous of how the Ancients had perfected Ascension and had created more advanced technological wonders. A deal was made…" _The Gate locked a fourth time and spun again.

_"The Ancients were a traveling race, never staying in the same spot for too long. Before they left, the Forerunners proposed a trade. They would get some superior technology to study a new life form they had created, called the Flood. The Ancients saw the potential danger in this new xenoform, so they agreed, on one condition. One Halo installation was to become a super Gate, and no Flood was to be placed on it. The deal formed and the Ancients left through the super Gate…"_

The Gate groaned and locked a fifth time. The Arbiter was keeping his eyes on the spinning Gate.

What do you mean 'ascension'…?" The Chief asked. Trojan stared at him.

_"…To evolve to a higher plane of existence, where one exists as pure energy with the powers of a lesser God. These Ori are the ones who broke the rules and avoided punishment. The rule is, you can not take action or give advice that may alter the path of lesser life form's evolution. Punishment is banishment and a removal of all memory. A worse punishment is to be destroyed from all existence. Ascension is developed when a person can use more than 80 of their brain capacity. The Ori are the ones who broke off, and play God to human kind. The power of the feeble worshipers strengthens them. The powers of a god in the hands of jealous evil. And if the Covenant creates a holy war with these beings and sees their powers as God-like, the Ori will be strong enough to destroy the rest of humanity in this dimension and our own. We must get to the Halo installation 07 before the Covenant do. One of their leadership survived the explosion and our sensors prove he is heading to the installation with a small band of seventy ships…"_

"Oh, **only** seventy ships… that makes me feel even more triumphant." Keyes remarked. "So how are we going to get there? The Covenant leader still has the advantage of a day's head start." Trojan blinked.

_"Our ships can enter hyperspace, a form of travel that exceeds the speed of your 'slip-space' by a factor of ten to the twenty seventh power. A trip that would take you years, will take us only hours at full thrust. We have been en route since we left the bridge. We are going to the other side of the universe. Besides, we will make our way to the Halo through the Stargate. Our mission is to get a composite of ultimate knowledge in the base of Halo. After that, Thor and I can examine the data, and hopefully find a way to stop the Ori. We will arrive instantaneously. The ship will hover above Halo and act as a shield for however long it takes about two hours after we come out."_

"Now you're speaking my language!" Johnson barked eagerly. "Were do we suit up?" Trojan walked over to the wall and moved a gem. The Humans were encased in a wall of light and suddenly were suited up. Jack and Johnson were in the regular military vests and gear, while Miranda was in her captains attire with a Battle Rifle slung across her chest. Jack and Johnson took up a P-90 and a SMG each. The Arbiter had a belt of plasma grenades on his side and three deactivated swords on one side. He felt each one and smiled, bearing fangs.

The Chief was suddenly in his **Mjolner **armor, minus the blood stains and dents. He noticed some improvements in the movement systems and his HUD. A small computer was on his wrist. A small group of Zatn'kitels was attached to his belt. Some hidden compartments and a smaller power source were on his back. Trojan walked to him.

_"Your Mjolner armor has been refitted with Asguard and some third generation Goa'uld components. Two shields offer better protection and the weaponry you will find has been given a serious uplift. Your suit has more compartments and more weaponry. The data pad at your right can be verbally or manually commanded to offer some of the hidden weapons…" _The Chief typed in a random code in the pad. A small compartment on his arm opened and shut, releasing a small group of tiny spheres. Trojan blinked. _"I would advise you to be more careful with those grenades in the future, Master Chief." _The marble sized explosives disappeared in a vibrant light. John looked up at the Gate. Six lights were on and the inner ring was quiet. Jack was eyeing the controls and thinking hard.

"Uh… Trojan… What's our point of origin?"

_"The second from the left…"_

"Uh…"

_"The one that looks like a fish, O'Neill…"_

Jack eyed the controls a bit longer. He spotted the button.

"Ah! There it is!" The Gate lit up one last time and the top chevron glowed, snapping open and shut. Jack stepped back a foot. The Gate groaned one time and suddenly flared with an explosion of blue light. What looked like a tidal wave arched out and froze before retracting back inside. A rippling surface was seen in the dark room. Jack felt the weight of the Battle Rifle and turned to them. Miranda's eyes were wide open shock, the Arbiter was staring indifferently into the device's rippling center, the Chief's emotions were hidden, but in the helmet, he was staring into the depths. Johnson laughed and slapped Jack's shoulder.

"Is this what your military does all day? Damn! I need a job application!"

_"We should go…" _Trojan said, eyeing the Gate and stepping up. Jack nodded and stepped through with the Asguard. Miranda walked up to the rippling event horizon and closed her eyes as she stepped through. Johnson, being immature, jumped through screaming. The Arbiter looked up at the Gate and took a look at John. He nodded his head and jogged through. The Chief looked up as he walked up to the Gate. The event horizon rippled in front of him. He heard a whisper in his ear. It sounded familiar. He looked around the empty hanger. As he put his hand in the Gate, he felt like it was drawing him in. With one breath, he stepped into the galaxy.

* * *

The Chief first saw darkness. His vision filters adjusted to the dark and he saw a shadowy room in his visor. He turned the filter off. Nothing was in the room. The Gate shut down, plunging them into darkness. He heard Jack.

"Alright…I just need… a light…" Something clattered to the floor. "Son of a bitch! Does anyone got a…" The Arbiter's blue plasma sword formed in the air next to Jack. Jack picked up a flashlight off the floor and looked around. The sword gave light, but not enough. Chief looked down at his pad computer. He pressed a button. The LED lit up. He put the pad to his helmet.

"I need a light." He said. The pad beeped and a tiny sphere clattered to the floor. A set of tripod legs came out the bottom and a light appeared at the top. The room burst into brilliance. It was a plain room, nothing but a DHD and the Gate in it. The metal was similar to that of the previous Halos. Chief had to realize, he was on Halo and not a ship. His blood ran cold as he reached for one of the snakelike guns. He wouldn't use it, but if he needed to, he'd figure it out. Overhead vents and pipes hung from supports, heavy iron gates held them shut. On the far wall, what looked like an awkward pyramid hung from the wall? Jack lowered his gun.

"You didn't say it was going to be one of those head… sucky… grabber things…" He said, staring at the small alien. Trojan looked up at him.

_"You will not have to download the knowledge into anyone. I will download it into a control crystal. The process will take about five minutes."_

Jack nodded and leaned up against the wall. Johnson copied him on the opposite wall, arms crossed. Miranda walked the perimeter of the room, looking for an alternate doorway other than the Gate. There were none. The Arbiter was watching the Asguard closely, and the Master Chief leaned against the wall, checking his rifle. Something gnawed at his mind. He spoke without looking directly at Jack.

"Is this encyclopedia galatica supposed to be like the one in the Halo mainframe…?" Jack stared at him.

"Yes, but we've already taken a copy of one of them and found it to be… smaller than the ancient data files. The Forerunners had information pertaining to themselves. The Ancients had the knowledge of everyone, even the higher beings." Trojan kept typing but added in.

_"The Ancient knowledge was originally supposed to be used by placing your head in front of the device and having it forcefully put the information in your brain. The knowledge is so vast; however, the brain will focus on the information and neglect the bodily functions until the victim suffers complete systematic shut down."_

The Chief thought of Cortana after receiving the Halo data. Even that had caused her to act quirkier and shorten her life span. Smart AI's were destined for systematic shutdown, but apparently, this knowledge would do this to a human, much faster.

Jack spoke. "The knowledge will over shadow a person's mind, making them talk Ancient, build ancient weaponry, act upon their merest whim, basically turning them into an ancient. This makes them die in a week. Only one of the air head ascended can retain the information safely."

John mulled this around for a bit before he heard something. It was a slithering sound. Like wet flesh. He recognized that sound, and so did Johnson. They lifted their guns and looked up at the vents. The sounds came from them. Jack walked over to the Asguard.

"How long is this gonna take?"

_"Two more minutes."_

_**I DON'T BELIEVE YOU SHALL SUCCSSED.**_

Everyone froze when the voice spoke. It seemed to come from the walls themselves.

**_HOW DARE YOU GRACE THESE HALOED HALLS WITH YOUR PRESENCE. THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE ANCIENTS IS SACRED. YOUR PRESENCE SHALL BE TAKEN CARE OF._**

The over head vents slammed open and hundred of the Flood Infection forms poured out. The Chief snatched the snake-like Zat gun from his side and aimed it at the Flood. The gun jumped and a lightning bolt slammed into the wave of green. The entire thing exploded, sending gore everywhere. Jack, the Arbiter, Miranda, Johnson, and the Chief formed a tight perimeter around the Asguard. The voice spoke as more Flood came out.

**_THE ARMORED ONE… YOU HAVE RETURNED…_**

The Chief grew desperate after seeing the wall of forms coming at them. He lifted his arm pad to his face. Jack saw him.

"What are you doing?"

"RAISE SHIELD!" Screamed the Chief. A sphere of blue exploded outward and forced the entire Flood back into their holes. A timer appeared on the screen. They had forty seconds before the Flood came back. The Asguard swore.

_"The core of the device is shielded. I can't get any information out of it!"_

The Chief looked at the timer and the group. He thought. What would Cortana do? What would the late Captain Keyes do? What would the entire military class do for their world…?

The Chief grabbed the Asguard and pushed him aside. He snapped his helmet off. His blue eyes looked silver against the dim lighting. Jack yelled something. The Chief put his face closer to it. Two arms grew out of the sides and clamped down on his head. The Chief's vision turned white out.

* * *

The Chief was nothing. He knew what he was, but he had no form, no visual appearance. The world was nothing but white. A figure in a black cloak stood in front of him, speaking in the familiar voice.

**_YOUR BRAVERY WILL NOT GO UNREWARDED, ANCIENT. THROUGH YOUR VIENS RUNS THE BLOOD OF THE GREAT ONES AND YOUR MIND IS EVOLVED TO A NEW LEVEL. ENOUGH TO ASCEND, MY CHILD._**

"This is not my doing. My brain was evolved through science."

**_MORE THAN TWELVE PERCENT IS ENOUGH AND IT IS EVOLVED NONE THE LESS. YOUR TIME IS NIEGH, AND IF ASCENSION IS NOT YOUR PREFERENCE, IT SHALL BE FORCED!

* * *

_**

The Chief was screaming, the device clamped to his face. The humans were trying to get it off him, when something new happened. A new arm branched from it and slammed into the Chief's neck. Blood and steam hissed from under the new piece of technology. It moved away to reveal the Earth Glyph in his neck, scar deep in the skin. The Chief yelled in pain one last time and the device let him go. The Chief slumped down to the floor. The timer on his hand hit zero. The Shield wavered. More Flood came rushing through. Miranda yelled. The Chief's eyes flared open and he stood up, whipping a hand down to face the Flood.

**"Ego oné on navo Quiatus!"** The Chief yelled. A vibrant white light swept down on the Flood. Everyone but the Chief blinked. The light cleared. The Flood were gone. The Chief was on his knees, clutching his arm, which was venting steam. His eyes were fragmented and the scar on his neck was glowing red. Jack swore and leaned over.

"Are you okay?"

The Chief looked up.

"I have one last mission I need to complete…"

_

* * *

Flashback over!

* * *

_

**A/N: The mission logs are over and the story will continue from the point of Chief's escape fron Oni Three in the earlier chapter. **

**Also, the phrase the Chief said in ancient roughly translates to: **I am the new Ancient.

**I stress 'rough translation', cause there may be a few grammar errors in it.**


	8. Introductions Suck

Cortana and Dr. Halsey had determined that the Chief was headed for the only ship docked, an Asguard cruiser named the **Ballistic**. The Chief was reported to have boarded the ship via ring platform and the crew departed to the UNSC headquarters by teleportation. John's life signs were the only ones visible on the ship, meaning that he had been expected to fly the ship by himself to wherever he needed to. Halsey wasn't about to let that happen without some interference.

Although the Halo data was moved out of her mind, Cortana still couldn't access the ship's computer, let alone a communication crystal. Halsey decided to convert some of her programming so she could reside in the ship's control systems, but only as a viewer. She still couldn't manipulate any of the controls. One of the upgrades was requested by Cortana. She wanted her hair to be changed to the original style, but spikier. Maybe by changing to a more recognizable form, the Chief would snap out of it. Halsey suspected that she was doing this to comfort herself more than the Chief, but she complied. They were finishing with the last upgrade when an alarm blared red.

Up in space, the **Ballistic **had begun launch procedures. Halsey put Cortana into a burst transmission and aimed it up at the ship. As the docking clamps moved aside and the ship fired sub-light engines, a beam of thin light arched up from the planet and absorbed into the ship's hull. If the shields had been up, Cortana would have died. The ship turned away from the **Cairo** and moved away at a sluggish pace. A frigate moved aside and skittered away from the more powerful ship. A hyperspace window tore open in the fabric of space and the **Ballistic** disappeared.

XXX

Cortana emerged in the ship's main computer. She looked into the bridge through the ship's sensors. John stood hunched over a crystal panel; hand in his hair, eyes closed. His breathing was shallow and strained. His hand sub consciously ran over the Earth glyph stamped into his neck. His Mjolner armor had become a pale green, the color beginning to fade. The Chief straightened up and looked at the swirling colors rushing by the window. He reached down and moved a crystal. A beeping warning came from the panel. Cortana got worried. Had she been discovered…?

John frowned and moved the crystal again. A glass screen dropped from the ceiling and colors appeared on it. Asguard text scrolled up the screen. The Chief sighed. He pulled a Zat and aimed it at the overhead conduits. His eyes flared. A bolt of blue lightning leapt out. Cortana felt a wave of pain and suddenly saw a bright flash of light. In a second, she saw she was standing about ten feet in front of the control panel…

…And the Chief was glaring at her.

She looked down at herself. She had become a life size hologram and she was clearly visible to the Chief. John walked around the panel, thundering strides getting closer and closer. Cortana lowered her gaze. She saw John's boots on the floor in front of her. She expected to be yelled at again, to be ridiculed or proven of one of her follies. The Chief's hand gripped her shoulder. She looked up. He stared into her eyes and remained silent. She really felt his hand's pressure on her shoulder. She had become a solid hologram. She involuntarily reached up and placed a hand on John's. He shook his head and ripped his own hand away, walking over to the window. He placed both hands on the glass and leaned against it. Cortana wanted to say something.

"Why did you do it?"

She stared at him, shocked and confused. She remained silent. His head whipped around and he glared at her, eyes turning silver.

"Why did you not detonate **High Charity**? Why did you send me to ONI Three? Why did you follow me!"

"John… I…" The Chief strode over to her and poked an angry finger into her chest.

"I did this for Earth! Do you know how many lives depend on this? You can only make it worse!"

"How? How can I…"

"If I told you that I needed to kill myself to complete the mission… what would you do?"

_Anything to stop you…_She thought. She didn't say anything. The Chief stepped away to the panel and placed a hand on the scanner. A wall of light engulfed the Master Chief. His armor was gone, replaced by a white tunic and robe. He suddenly stumbled and slammed into the floor. Cortana yelled and rushed over to him. He coughed up a speckle of blood and laughed weakly. She reached down and helped him up. He spoke softly.

"Look how pathetic I've become…"

"Don't say that…" Cortana whispered back. Chief laughed painfully and shook his head.

"Proclarúsh táonas… I refuse to let Earth become the next one…" Chief stood up taller and looked at Cortana. "Cortana… what's with the hair…?" She smiled warmly at him and the Chief smiled back. A bleeping alarm sounded back at the controls. The Chief looked back. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small remote with a single button. He pressed it and stepped back. His armor came back. Cortana stood where she was. She felt alive. To hold the Chief like that for her, seemed to be an ecstatic feeling. Her inner voice was jubilant.

The ship dropped out of hyperspace and appeared over a gas giant. The **Ballistic** arched around the planet and emerged in sunlight. A giant ring of black metal spun in geosynchronous orbit above the gases. Geography was visible under the shadow of the inner ring. But this Halo had a black crevice running straight down the center of the inner ring. It also had nine giant triangles around the edge. This ring was also much, much thicker, strange glyphs in the metal. The Chief nodded and looked down at the panel. He held up three fingers in a countdown. One finger went down. Then the next. The final finger folded…

The giant Gate began to light up. Cortana was about to say something, but the giant Gate groaned and a vortex of impossible size shot out, filling space with water plasma. Cortana was in awe.

"Amazing… I'd have to meet the AI that made this possible…"

"Yeah… oh boy…"

A human ship, the **Fire Stallion** arched out of the event horizon and flew towards the **Ballistic. **The Chief looked over to Cortana and pressed a button. She disappeared and became lodged in the computer, able to talk, but not visible. There were six flashes of light and SG-1 along with Jack stood in front of John. Cameron Mitchell was glancing around the room, hands on a P-90. Teal'c was staring out a window, Jaffa staff weapon gripped in his large hand. Daniel and Vala were arguing over one thing or another like an old married couple. Jack was standing next to Samantha Carter, smiling at the Chief.

"Chief! Good to see ya. I told you about Carter, right?"

"Yes. I was looking forward to meeting the one who helped activate the Gate network…" John said, shaking the blonde woman's hand. She looked up at him with a nervous smile. Cortana spoke.

"You didn't say that the genius of the Stargate system was a _human_ woman…" She said, materializing out of thin air next to Carter. Mitchell smiled and looked over Cortana's form. Vala and Daniel stopped arguing and looked at the Chief. John watched Cortana with the eyes of a hawk, waiting for her to say the one thing to set the room ablaze. Jack watched everyone with interest, Teal'c behind him. Carter and Cortana glared at each other.

"What does that mean…?" Carter asked. Cortana smiled.

"Nothing… I just didn't expect someone like you would figure out the Gate technology…"

"Excuse me?"

Jack and John looked at each other and sighed. Things were not to a great start. Carter looked ready to kill and John knew that the Asguard hologram could be physically manipulated, so there really wasn't anything stopping Carter from attacking Cortana. Mitchell whispered "catfight" into Daniel's ear. Vala took renewed interest in the confrontation.

"Uh… Maybe we should… uh… focus on the Gate…" John suggested. Carter blinked.

"For someone so cocky, you haven't even figured out how to run an Asguard cruiser…"

"Uh… Cortana… I need to speak with you… Jack! Do something…"

Jack shrugged his shoulders. He knew better than to get in Carter's way. John began to get mad. This was getting ridiculous.

"I heard that your race can't even generate a stable AI…" Cortana snapped back. John had enough. He rushed forward with incredible speed and pushed the two think tanks away from each other. Carter hit the floor, Cortana's hologram disappeared. John shook his head. He reached out a hand and a Zat sprang out of his wrist. He aimed it at the ceiling and fired a round into the wires. Cortana would be out of it for the next ten minutes. Carter got up and looked confusingly at the Master Chief. John shook his head.

"I gave her a time out… be lucky I didn't think so about you too."

"This is just a shot in the dark…" Daniel said. "…but was that the AI that you said would get in the way… What is she doing here…?" Chief sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"She is abnormally persistent. And don't worry about her, Carter… She's just a bit jealous that someone other than an AI could figure out more advanced technology… You really mustn't let her get under your skin…"John muttered.

"How are you holding up?" Jack asked. He stared at the Chief. John leaned against the wall. He lifted a hand and a tiny sphere of light appeared. He stared at it.

"The power is getting easier to control, but I feel weaker… and more pain…" He whispered. The ball disappeared. A light flashed on. John sighed, but did not look. A hyperspace window of incredible size had torn open nearby, but he thought it was an Asguard vessel. An explosion and rumbling threw everyone to the ground. The Chief hit the floor and swore. John got up and looked out the window. Something had come out of the disruption…

…but it was much worse than anyone could imagine…

**A/N: Yeah, this one's short. So what... The next chapter is going to be twice as long and include some very random cameo appearences...**


	9. Primal Locomotion

What did come out of the disruption was an Ori ship. That didn't get the Chief's attention. What did was the huge wad of green tinted flesh and tentacles that was attached to the middle of it. The normal power source of the Ori vessel had been shielded over in a living wall of xenoform. The Chief felt a familiar presence in the center of the ball.

"…Gravemind…" John breathed, rage sparking in his eyes. The dagger pupils began to form, static electricity jumping from his clenched fists. Jack saw the tiny hand-held lightshow and sprang into action.

"Daniel, Teal'c... Stay on this ship and monitor the systems. Make sure those parasite bastards don't get this ship. Everyone else is to return to the **Fire Stallion **and begin damage control. Chief…"

John looked at him in the corner of his eyes.

"…use the Locomotion Armor…" John's eyes widened and he turned to the commander.

"What! You can't be serious…" Jack pointed out the window at the approaching ship.

"A Daedalus class ship can only take one hit from that thing. This ship can sustain maybe four or five hits. I don't want to test my new shields just yet." John looked a little uncertain. The Armor was untested. **(A/N: To see the Armor in a drawing, view my profile and find the file link.)**

The Ascended Armor was the Chief's greatest weapon. It was a combination of his Mjolner armor, Asguard technology, and the best weaponry of the Ancients. It was called the "Locomotion Armor" by Jack, because it made the wearer look like a diesel engine and once it got started, you couldn't stop it. It was designed to multiply the Ascended forces of the Chief by a hundred fold, powered by a ZPM. There were complications. The Armor radiated so much heat; it would melt any gun the Chief touched. It was strictly melee combat. The Armor also was made of 93 percent naquadah, making the Chief weigh a good two and a half tons. The biggest drawback was that the Armor was so advanced, that it required constant mental stimulus. The Chief couldn't talk and would have to concentrate on just the mission and the Armor. Anything else would cause the suit to shut down.

The chief nodded and stepped into the control area. John pressed a button and a white set of rings appeared overhead. They rushed down. John felt incredible pain, but he clenched his teeth. When the rings rose, Carter had to suppress a gasp.

The armor mirrored the Mjolner armor, except the back had four arms reaching out of it, tiny engine boosters on each one. The shoulder plates were raised, orange crystal wrapped around it. The Arms had ancient text stamped in them, rolling cords arching around his arms. A set of Naquadah blades arched from each arm and his right hand. His feet shielding was much larger, accompanying his rocket boosters. A glowing ZPM hummed and glowed orange, fused into his back. Jack approached the titan of iron.

"Chief…? You in there, bud?" He was answered by the armor venting steam from pipes on the arms and two glowing specks where the eyes were. The Chief nodded and stepped past him. Jack felt the wave of heat and energy as it passed. The footsteps left behind were glowing red. The Chief reached the ring platform and slammed a fist into the floor, cracking it. The rings rushed down and whisked the Chief away. Jack, Sam, Vala, and Mitchell got in the ring platform and were sent to the **Fire Stallion** in a blue flare of light. Daniel and Teal'c rushed to their respective stations.

The Ori ship charged and fired its weapon, but not at them or the earth ship. It arched overhead and towards a Covenant cruiser. The Arbiter's voice came over the radios. A string of Covenant words that Daniel was sure weren't allowed in church echoed over the air waves. Jack blasted music over the radios, **Ball Room Blitz** by ACDC. The Covenant cruiser fired a salvo of plasma. Daniel rolled his eyes and tapped a control. Suddenly, a very furious Cortana appeared.

"Where's John?" She asked furiously. Teal'c looked at Daniel and he sighed. He just pointed out the window. She turned and saw the Chief in his armor heading straight for the ship. She gasped and tried to activate the beaming transporter. She forgot she could only observe, not interfere. A beam of white light burst from the chief and sliced into the ball of green flesh in the center of the ship. By passing the ship's shields with ease, the Chief burst into the hollow abyss.

* * *

The room was dark and damp. The Chief saw the vacuum being sealed away as the fleshy xeno-plasm healed itself. He looked over at the far wall. A lumpy figure that looked like clay was standing over on the side. He raised his arm blades and walked forward. IT was a Prior of the Ori, or what used to be one. The flood form had taken over the body, but the form was weak. The Chief could feel Gravemind in that thing…

He could feel its fear…

**_"It's good to see you again, Master Chief, Spartan 117, John… The One…." _**It began to chatter on like a broken record. The Chief stared straight ahead. He was going to kill this thing, and he was going to make sure it died this time.

**_"I floated through space… as an infection form like I was once ago… my brethren are dead… but this ship floated by…. and I took my chance…. I now have infinite knowledge…. but I needed the power to match it… possessing you will be too simple… so a copy shall suffice…." _**It said. The Chief was suddenly knocked to the floor as the horrid thing brushed a hand over his back. The Chief jumped up and lashed out at it. The form liquefied and formed again. This time, it took the form of one he knew. It had copied the form of his Locomotion Armor.

The Flood form Ascended being looked at its hands, and then suddenly dashed forward.

* * *

**It's not twice as long... oh well.**


	10. Unaccepted Failure

The Chief slammed a fist into Gravemind, which caused a thunderclap of power in the vacuum. Gravemind recoiled and retaliated with a swift upper cut. The Ascended Armor lagged and vented steam. The two pinpricks that were the Chief's glowing eyes flared up in brilliance and he lunged forward. The battle ensued. In the ships, the Arbiter and the ship were in a gridlock fight. The **Fire Stallion** dove to and fro, firing rail guns at the shields. The **Ballistic **hung in space, firing its blasts at the Ori ship. Cortana watched the Chief with unwavering interest. The Chief sustained a hit and she would suppress a small gasp, and when the Chief landed a blow to the copy-cat, her eyes would spark with enthusiasm. Daniel sighed in the inside. To be in love… oh well.

Gravemind landed a blow that sent the SPARTAN reeling. Gravemind lifted a hand and fired a blast at the **Ballistic**. The Chief fired his rockets and met the blast. It carved a deathly slice out of his arm plates. The Chief screamed on the ascended plane. Cortana winced and looked at Daniel.

"Can't we do anything?"

"It would be best if we didn't…"

"Why in hell…?"

"He's playing his trump card…" Daniel said. Cortana looked into space.

"And that would be…?"

"The Locomotion Drive… It'll definitely destroy anything out there, but it'll also deplete the ZPM to a dangerous level of overheat."

As if summoned by a will of Danny's words, the suit flashed golden and charged the flood form with grace and speed of a god. Kicks and punches of blinding velocity shattered the Flood form. Gravemind tried to flee. The Chief grabbed his leg. Gravemind looked down at the Chief. Once again, he felt fear. The Chief growled.

**_"Nou putamus!"_**

The Chief squeezed. Bones reinforced by the xenoform flesh shattered. Gravemind lowered his gaze and screamed in pain. The Chief reached up and ripped off the flood's right arm, making puddles of blood well up. The flood form was dying. The Master Chief raised his hands for the final blow. The energy from the Chief collected into his hands. The lightning enveloped the Flood Form. The blast enveloped the Flood-Ori ship, as well, eliminating both.

"I believe that we have finally won a great battle here, Daniel Jackson…"

"Problem… Problem…!" Daniel said. Flames arched out of his suit as the device drove him to a maddening level. He dashed for the **Fire **Stallion. Sparks issued off him as he impacted the side of the ship, making vessel tumble in space. As he ripped open the hull, a hyperspace window opened above Halo 07. Four Ori ships emerged and formed a line. The Locomotion armor targeted them and leapt up into the sky. Daniel tutted.

"Time to go…"

He moved a crystal and suddenly, the body of the Chief was teleported to the floor of the ship, along with the ZPM. He had lost consciousness a long time ago, the suit overloading his mind. In space the suit reached the first two ships, and blasted them into oblivion. The suit began to overload. It blossomed into vibrant light. The shockwave tore a third ship to pieces. But one remained. Daniel swore.

The Chief's eyes flashed open. Cortana saw the movement and rushed over to John.

"Are you okay, John…?"

The Chief rose up. His black matte suit was torn in some places, leaving horrid scars. He looked around the room, at the Ori ship, and the last Halo. He eyed Daniel and rushed forward. A fist smacked Daniel's neck, making him black out. Teal'c dove for him, but John moved aside and knocked him out. Cortana exclaimed in surprise, only to be sealed away in the systems of the ship. The Chief raised the ZPM and stared into it. He flipped a switch and beamed himself to the Halo surface.

He had a mission to complete, and he wasn't about to let everyone down.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry the last chapter took so long and it's short. My schedule is very busy. ****The term the Chief used is: "**We settle this now…" **It's not that fair that I can write in Ancient and others can't read it. **(o.O) 


	11. Farewell?

Daniel woke up with a start, Teal'c prodding him in the side. Jackson leapt up with great speed, looking around for the Chief. Teal'c knew who he was looking for and tapped his shoulder.

"Master Chief has gone down to Halo's surface with the ZPM. Perhaps he is thinking that he can use the Ancient defenses?"

"I don't know… There may be enough power in that Zero Point Module to activate drone cannon or two… but he was pretty wiped out… We need to find him…"

"Where is the other…?"

Daniel stared at Teal'c, puzzled. He remembered Cortana. Jackson looked around for an access panel. Teal'c stepped aside as Daniel released Cortana from the hard-drive. Her hologram appeared in the air. She looked around.

"Does anyone know how to find John? He was near…" She couldn't bring herself to say he was dying. She futilely hoped that those ONI propaganda slogans were right, that SPARTANS never die. Daniel stared at the empty space in the room for a second, and then lit up.

"Ship sensors can pick up a ZPM! We just have to scan Halo!" He said. Teal'c nodded and moved to another station. Cortana looked out the window. The Ori ships were in line, staying their ground. The Covenant cruiser had been horribly damaged, but still limped next to an equally battered **Fire Stallion**. She winced as pieces of the Covenant cruiser shattered off. A screen appeared on the window, the Arbiter on the screen, tapping controls with great speed. Johnson was running around in the background, adjusting dials. The Arbiter growled.

**"My sensors have picked up the Master Chief's signal on Halo. He is on an ice plateau on the 156 degree face. My sensors also are picking up a serious power increase in surrounding areas."**

"What does this mean?" Teal'c asked.

**"It means one of three things. The Master Chief could have activated the Ancient weaponry, Halo has been activated, or the Gate is picking up an incoming wormhole. I know that once the ships detected the disturbance, the Ori stopped their attack…"**

"Keep your position and we'll have to monitor the situation from afar."

"We can't leave John!" Cortana spat. Daniel eyed her hologram with pity and grabbed a control crystal. The ship arched towards Halo and rocketed to the construct. The Arbiter snarled in shock at Daniel's sudden movement. The Covenant ship followed close behind. The **Fire Stallion **hovered in place for a while before turning to follow as well.

_"You guys aren't leaving me here alone!"_

The ships approached Halo, when the sensor net flared red. Four bright lights appeared on the surface. Before anyone could do anything, the beams of drones exploded out and around the ships. Daniel watched as the drones tore through the ships with the utmost ease. He smiled, but then remembered the Chief. Something sparked his memory. The last time this happened, Jack had been…

Daniel looked at Teal'c and they both stared at each other, wide eyed. Jack's voice came over the radio.

_"Yes! Those dumb-shits are dead!"_

"Uh… Jack… Do you remember what happened to you when you used the Ancient platform… when you were near death…?"

_"Wha…? Yeah… I was…" _The line was silent for a second. _"Oh son of a bitch…"_

"My words exactly…"

* * *

The humans and Cortana's hologram stood in the icy cavern. The drone chair and the dead ZPM stood off to the side. The Chief was frozen in the Ancient cryo-pod, his eyes closed, arms crossed. He looked asleep. Cortana ran a hand down the glass. Jack stood by the drone chair.

"This stupid over rated piece of shit!"

"Jack…"

"I'm serious! Can't the ancients leave ya a key to their weapons that won't kill you?"

"Jack…"

"Damn it, Daniel!"

"Jack!" The commander shut up.

**"What are our options…?"** The Arbiter asked. Daniel looked around.

"If we take him out, he'll die…"

"Can't the Asguard fix this…?" Cortana asked, desperate. Daniel thought for a second.

"All the Asguard ships are warrior class… I doubt that they have a revival pod…" Johnson growled. "That hard-ass deserves a second chance…" He motioned at the Chief.

"I think that we can fix this… but it'll take time… We need to go…"

"We can't just leave him here!" Cortana yelled. Jack shook his head.

"I remember one thing from something a much ascended Daniel Jackson said… 'No one can choose your path for you… but if you choose that right path, the journey will be incredible…' He chose his path… We'll be back…"

Heads hung the humans and the hologram left. Jack stopped at the stairway and looked back to the cryo-pod.

"See you around, Master Chief…"


	12. Author's Notice

* * *

**Author's Note:**

* * *

**Thank you for all the people who liked this story, although I don't share that opinion of this being a great story. I feel ashamed about the ending, although I began to lose interest in the story to the point of it being painful to write. I have chosen to try again.**

**I will make a sequel to this one, with SG-1 characters and a much better storyline. It will be on the website later, when I post more information on this story's page. Just check back when I post after this entry. I have two other stories I need to get done, so I can devote 100 percent to this next one. I ask that you remain patient and on this story alert list if you want to find sequel info. (Or hear more remarks from Jack O'Niell and the Sarge.)  
**

**I will try my best to cater to my reviewer's wishes. Until my next post, keep watch, if you wish.**

**Have a most excellent day.**

**Anubis117**


	13. Authors Notice 2

**The Sequel is up. You can reach it by returning to my homepage and looking under my stories for: Halo SG-2: GODSEND**


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